overleaf-web-mcp

Overleaf Web MCP

Let Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client read, edit, compile, and review your Overleaf projects, signed in as you.

Overleaf Web MCP is an unofficial Model Context Protocol server. It signs in to Overleaf once through a browser window you control, then lets an AI assistant work on your projects the way you would in the web editor: browse files, make revision-checked edits, optionally as tracked changes, compile, and handle review comments. It uses the same browser-facing endpoints the Overleaf editor uses, so no Git integration or premium plan is needed for the core workflow.

What you can say

Once connected, talk to your assistant in plain language. It picks the tools.

• "List my Overleaf projects and open the one called *CHEERSafe*."
• "Rewrite the introduction of `main.tex` for a general audience, as a tracked change."
• "Compile the paper and tell me whether it built."
• "Which figures in `./figures` differ from what's in the project? Upload only those."
• "Summarize the open review comments and reply to the one about Table 2."

> [!CAUTION]

> This client uses Overleaf's private, browser-facing APIs, which Overleaf may change without notice. Automating `www.overleaf.com` may carry Terms-of-Service and account risk. Start with a disposable project and keep request volume low.

Get started

You need Node.js 20 or newer, a Chrome-family browser (Chrome, Chromium, Brave, or Edge), and an Overleaf account.

1. Sign in once. A dedicated browser window opens. Complete the normal Overleaf login, including SSO or two-factor. Only cookies for the Overleaf origin are saved, to a file only your user can read.

npx overleaf-web-mcp login

2. Connect your MCP client. For Claude Code:

claude mcp add overleaf --scope user -- npx -y overleaf-web-mcp serve

For Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, and other clients, add this to their MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "overleaf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "overleaf-web-mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

3. Restart the client and ask it to check your Overleaf connection.

Client-by-client steps, self-hosted Overleaf, and troubleshooting, including the "failed to connect" you get when `node` is older than 20, are in the installation guide.

What it can do

• Browse and organize. List projects, read the file tree with the configured root document and compiler, create folders and files, rename, move, upload, download, and delete with confirmation.
• Write safely. Replace a whole document or a single section. Every edit is checked against the revision you read first, so a collaborator's concurrent change is reported instead of overwritten. Edits can be recorded as Overleaf tracked changes.
• Work by section. Parse `\section` headings in a file, read one section, replace one section.
• Compile. Build the project's configured root document, or any document you name, and stop a running compile.
• Review. List comment threads with their locations, reply, add a comment anchored to exact text, and resolve or reopen threads.
• Follow history. Poll recent project history with a version cursor to see who changed what.

How it keeps your project safe

• Text edits require the revision from a prior read and fail with a conflict if the document changed underneath.
• Tracked changes are opt-in and never silently downgraded to plain edits.
• Deletes require the path to be confirmed. Downloads never overwrite a local file unless asked.
• A write that times out is observed, never resubmitted, so nothing is applied twice.
• Your session cookie stays on your machine in a file only you can read, and is never returned by any tool.
• While a project is open, up to 90 seconds after the last call, you may appear online to collaborators.

Documentation

For AI agents

The server sends usage instructions to the MCP client when it connects, and every tool description is self-contained, so an assistant does not need this README to use it correctly. Coding agents contributing to the repository should read AGENTS.md.

License

MIT.